1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to protective housing for a padlock and, more particularly to a lock box for enclosing a padlock and protecting the padlock from being cut with bolt cutters and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 378,189 (Small et al) discloses a protective padlock guard. The apparatus includes a flange adjacent to a padlock and disposed over the padlock.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,505 (Volk, Jr.) discloses another type of shield for a padlock. The apparatus includes a plate which fastens over the padlock.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,518 (Appelgren) discloses a box arrangement for protecting a padlock. The boxlike apparatus includes slots which cooperate with the lock and a hasp. There is also a plate on the housing which provides the actual protection for the padlock.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,486 (Appelbaum) discloses a pivoting plate elements which include a double lock system. That is, the pivoting plate elements include a built-in lock, and the plate elements comprise a housing for a padlock.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,903 (Chen) discloses a padlock which includes a concealed shackle. The padlock itself includes its own protective plate to prevent access to the shackle of the lock.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,258 (Bunger) discloses a relatively complicated housing for preventing access to the shackle of a padlock.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,568 (Wightman) discloses a padlock protector apparatus which includes a pair of spaced apart parallel plates which are disposed on opposite sides of a padlock shackle to prevent access to the shackle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,653 (Davis) discloses security apparatus which includes a slide bolt and an external keyed element. The apparatus requires a key to remove a plate which covers the padlock. The apparatus essentially comprises a double lock system. The slide bolt is secured by the padlock, and a plate the covers the shackle of the padlock. The plate includes an integral lock in order to move the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,946 (Sole et al) discloses a shield assembly for a semi-trailer door latch. The apparatus includes plate elements extending in different directions and which prevent access to the padlock. The plate elements also prevent access to a latch handle of the semi-trailer door.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,314 (Cernansky) discloses a housing for protecting a padlock. The apparatus includes an elongated tube which is disposed over a slide bolt latch. The tube slides and latches to provide access in one direction and to prevent access in the opposite direction to a padlock.
The apparatus of the present invention provides a simpler and less expensive housing for receiving a padlock and for preventing access to the padlock. The padlock for which the present apparatus is designed is one with a front key system rather than a padlock with a bottom key system.
The invention described and claimed herein comprises a housing which is appropriately secured, as by welding, to one door of a pair of doors or to a single door of cooperating elements either on a second door or on a door frame. The housing includes an opening in the back for receiving a loop secured to either the second door or door frame and an aperture in the front of an apparatus for inserting a key for the lock. The padlock, with its front key receiving aperture, is inserted through the loop from the bottom. The: padlock is thus completely enclosed by the housing, with access to the lock key away from the front of the housing.
Among the objects of the present invention are the following:
To provide new and useful protective apparatus for a padlock;
To provide new and useful housing for a padlock;
To provide new and useful housing apparatus for enclosing a padlock;
To provide protective apparatus securable to a door and for cooperating with a fixed hasp secured to a second door or to a door frame; and
To provide new and useful housing apparatus for protecting a front locking padlock.